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Caro–Kann Defence
History
The opening is named after the English player Horatio Caro and
the Austrian player Marcus Kann who analysed it in 1886. Kann scored an impressive
17-move victory with the Caro–Kann Defence against German-British chess
champion Jacques Mieses at the 4thGerman Chess Congress in Hamburg in May 1885:
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Bd3 Bxd3 5.Qxd3 e6 6.f4 c5 7.c3 Nc6 8.Nf3 Qb6 9.0-
0 Nh6 10.b3 cxd4 11.cxd4 Nf5 12.Bb2 Rc8 13.a3 Ncxd4 14.Nxd4 Bc5 15.Rd1
Nxd4 16.Bxd4 Bxd4+ 17.Qxd4 Rc1 0–1[1]
of being solid but somewhat boring. More popular recently are variations with Black
castling kingside and even leaving his king in the centre. These variations can be sharp
and dynamic.
Here is a brilliancy illustrating White's attacking chances when the players castle on
opposite sides in the Classical Variation:
Lev Milman–Joseph Fang, Foxwoods Open, 2005[2]
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5 Bh7 9.
Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 (10...Qc7 avoids White's next) 11. Bf4 Bb4+ 12. c3 Be7 13. 0-0-0
Ngf6 14. Kb1 0-0 15. Ne5 c5?! (15...Qa5 is usual and better) 16. Qf3 Qb6? (necessary was
16...cxd4 17.Rxd4 Nxe5 18.Bxe5 Qc8 19.Rhd1 Rd8 20.Ne4 with a small White
advantage) 17. Nxd7 Nxd7 18. d5 exd5 19. Nf5! Bf6 20. Rxd5 Qe6 21. Bxh6
Ne5 (21...gxh6 22.Rd6 Qe8 23.Rxf6 Nxf6 24.Qg3+ mates on g7) 22. Qe4 Nc6 23. Qf3
Ne5? (23...gxh6 24.Rd6 Qe5 25.Nxh6+ Kg7 26.Nf5+ Kh7 with an unclear position) 24. Qe4
Nc6 25. Qg4! Qxd5 (25...Ne5 26.Rxe5 Qxe5 27.Bxg7 Bxg7 28.h6 wins) 26. Bxg7 Qd3+ 27.
Ka1 Ne5 28. Ne7+!! Kh7 29. Qg6+!! fxg6 30. hxg6+ Kxg7 31. Rh7# (White is down a
queen, a rook, and a bishop!)[3][4]
The "true" Exchange Variation begins with 4.Bd3 (to prevent ...Bf5 while still
developing) Nc6 5.c3 Nf6 6.Bf4 Bg4 7.Qb3. This line is considered to offer equal
chances, and was tried by Bobby Fischer. Some of the strategic ideas are analogous to
the Queen's Gambit Declined, Exchange Variation, (1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.cxd5
exd5) with colours reversed.
The Panov–Botvinnik Attack begins with the move 4.c4. It is named after Vasily
Panov and the world champion Mikhail Botvinnik. This system often leads to
typical isolated queen's pawn (IQP) positions, with White obtaining rapid development, a
grip on e5, and kingside attacking chances to compensate for the long-term structural
weakness of the isolated d4-pawn. The major variation in this line is 4...Nf6 5.Nc3 e6
6.Nf3, when Black's main alternatives are 6...Bb4 (a position often transposing into lines
of the Nimzo-Indian Defence) and 6...Be7, once the most common line. 6...Nc6?! is
inferior as it is favourably met by 7.c5!, after which White plans on seizing the e5-square
by advancing the b-pawn to b5, or by exchanging the black knight on c6 after Bb5.
Other lines
2.c4, the Accelerated Panov Attack, is an effective move for White. Black will probably
play 2...d5 (see 1.e4 c6 2.c4 d5). This can transpose to the Panov–Botvinnik (B14,
given above, with exd5 cxd5 d4) or Caro–Kann (B10, with the double capture on d5).
Alternatively, Black may play 2...e5, the Open Variation (see 1.e4 c6 2.c4 e5). The 2.c4
line can also arise by transposition from the English Opening: 1.c4 c6 2.e4.
The Hillbilly Attack,[10][11] 1.e4 c6 2.Bc4?!, is most often played by weaker players
unfamiliar with the Caro–Kann Defence. If 2...d5 3. exd5 cxd5, Black has simply gained
a tempo on the bishop. Nevertheless, GM Simon Williams has experimented with this
move, following it up by gambiting the pawn with 2...d5 3.Bb3!?[12]
Other lines are ineffective or doubtful. These include 2.d3, the Breyer Variation, 2.b3,
the Euwe Attack, 2.b4, the Labahn Attack, and 2.g4, the Spike Variation.